Read more
At the heart of the Anthroposophical Society is the School for Spiritual Science, intended to be an esoteric school for spiritual scientific research and study. In 1924, Rudolf Steiner held nineteen esoteric lessons in which he introduced his followers to a series of meditations (mantras), along with instructions and guidelines for their use. This became known as "The First Class Lessons."
After Steiner's death in 1925, the Anthroposophical Society Executive Council (
Vorstand) at the Goetheanum began to convey the contents of those lessons to members of the First Class. Leaders in the Anthroposophical Society were assigned this task, and circles of Class holders grew in various cities and countries around the world. Today members of the Anthroposophical Society may become members of the First Class and participate in the instructional lessons.
In this book, the General Anthroposophical Section of the School for Spiritual Science is explored in both its inner and outer aspects. It explores topics that include defining what this Section is; its tasks; steps for joining the School for Spiritual Science; living with questions; understanding ideas as organs of perception; observing one's will; awaking one's heart; and working with the mantras.
About the author
Rüdiger Janisch has been working in Curative Education and teaching in professional training programs in Germany and the United States for over 40 years. A long-time student of anthroposophy, he serves on the Collegium of the School for Spiritual Science in North America. His contributions to adult education methods were recognized in the context of an international research project sponsored by the European Union. He has been a member of the core faculty of a joint 'Training for Trainers' program supporting Curative Education and Social Therapy in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan. He has also taught as an adjunct faculty member of the M.S. Ed program in Waldorf Remedial Education at Antioch University N.H. Having taught many different aspects of anthroposophy and Curative Education, he currently is focused on action research and the development of artistic and experiential approaches to the spiritual scientific study of the human being.
